IT Solutions

Data Sheets

Press & Media

News

Industries

Data Center Solutions

#

Channel Programs

Blog

Home >Cyber Trends >What Both Employers & Employees Should Know About Cyber Security

What Both Employers & Employees Should Know About Cyber Security

May 21, 2017November 7, 2017

Cyber security is an issue that has become quite a headache for many companies today. With the growing value of data and reliance on IT infrastructure, more sophisticated methods of compromising these systems in order to obtain information are being developed. As a result, any entity that has IT infrastructure should be cognizant of the risk of cyber security, and should put in place measures to prevent it.

Typically, this depends on the nature of the information one is dealing with, and how valuable it is. It is also important for both employers and employees to have a clear understanding of the risk of cyber-crime, and some simple methods of instituting cyber security. This way, such a crime would be in a better position to protect itself from such troubles. Some of the things that both employers and employees should know about cyber security include:

The Basic Ways of Instituting Cyber Security

There are basic ways of instituting cyber security depending on the type of data involved. For instance, a company that handles very sensitive data such as credit card information would need to become PCI compliant, and also put in place measures to ensure that this information does not get into the hands of a third party. Employees in such a company also have a role to play in maintaining cyber security. For instance, their passwords should contain more than 12 characters, and should include symbols, numbers, letters and a combination of small and large capitalization. This is particularly important if the password can be used to access valuable information, such as credit card data.

Understanding the Cyber Security Measures in Place

It’s a good idea for employers and employees to have some working knowledge of the systems in place to maintain cyber security. This is especially important for employees who are responsible for sensitive data. Some of the measures that a company can put in place to protect data include firewalls, data signatures, high level encryption and payment gateways. Employees, on the other hand, should be informed of how to come up with strong passwords, and should be required to change them on a regular basis. How regular this is also depends on the type of information involved.

Employees should also have anti-virus software capable of detecting viruses that can infiltrate the system through email. They should know of some of the signs that an email might contain a virus, and should not open attachments that have been sent from sources that are not trusted. Employees should also be instructed to not respond to emails which request sensitive information. There should be clear protocols about how sensitive information should be sent electronically, and measures should be taken to ensure that employees understand them.

Basic Security Training

Basic security training should be a staple in any company that handles sensitive information and is prone to cyber security breaches. The nature of the training should be customized to the specific company environment. The training can also be done on a regular basis to keep employees updated on advances in cyber security.